Hunted
by bluewingedwisdom
Summary: I'm not sure how we're gonna get home...or if we ever will. Donnie's gone, Leo's bleeding, and Raph... He's scared. Terrified, even. How did things go so badly wrong?
1. The Best

The room was dark, the blinds closed, the curtains drawn, the door shut, and the lamp-light fluttering and dimming. Under the yellow glow smoke wavered like a solitary hunting snake swimming through the air, its hiss originating from the thick puffs of the cigar that burned a bright orange. The embers died slowly, and the cigar was slowly lowered. Through the gloom smoky eyes sought out the man that had called him to attention in the request for his 'services'.

The Shredder sat patiently, eyeing the man before him and carefully weighing and judging his character. His metal mask still remained in place, his thick purple cape coming over his shoulders slightly as he glared through the smoke to the man that stayed confined to the shadows. Slowly, he leaned forwards, his hands coming to rest on the desk as he refused to break eye contact with the smirking shadow with the smoky eyes.

"I am informed that you are the best."

The shadow laughed and the smirk pulled harder at rough rubber lips until it was transformed into a cold, cruel sneer. "Your informants would be correct."

Shredder never smiled as the smoky eyes appeared almost lazy, as if they thought they had been called out for a demeaning, menial task. "You understand that I need better than the best, do you not?"

"Good job you called for me then."

Shredder's eyes narrowed as he stared at the shadow with an unreadable expression. He watched as the shadow crossed his legs, his solid leather boots becoming visible in the lamp light atop the desk that separated them. "Confident, aren't we?"

"I have no reason not to be. Me and my men have controlled every type of…'pest', shall we say?" A brutal laugh escaped the shadow's scarred mouth. "You know that my services don't come cheaply, right?"

"I wouldn't expect a man of your track record to work for anything below what I deem fair."

"And how much is that then?"

Shredder frowned. The shadow was toying with him, playing with him. He hated that. He was in control here, he was the one buying the other's skills for his own gain…so why did he suddenly feel as if he was debating the terms of a contract that should have been set in concrete beneath his own rules and superiority? "Seventeen thousand a head."

The shadow whistled, and Shredder could sense the slow nodding movement. There was the distinct sound of screeching leather as the man moved before it stopped and silence settled once more. The shadow was thinking, and Shredder felt a small smile tug at his lips. When the shadow finally spoke the laughter was gone and the smoky eyes had turned hard and bitter. "You say a head… what beast would I be hunting here? And exactly how many are there?"

"Do you accept my offer?"

"I never accept anything until I know what type of animal I'm dealing with. It's time to place your cards on the table, Oroku Saki."

The Shredder smiled. He should have expected no less from the supposed best of the best. He straightened up slightly, his eyes sharply slanted as he clapped his hands together harshly. As the applause dimmed he let out a low sarcastic laugh. "So you have done your homework. Congratulations. You are not half as brainless as I had first expected."

The shadow growled. "Don't play games with me, Saki! Seventeen thousand on the table or not, I aint making no choices until I know what you're planning on putting us up against!"

Shredder inhaled deeply and stood, both hands on the desk as he smiled. Taking a step back, he allowed himself to become immersed in the shadows of the room and his smile slipped as he began to speak. "You are the best."

"We've established this already."

"I am giving you the opportunity to hunt a set of beasts unlike any other. They have intelligence equal to most humans. Some would go as far as to argue their intelligence is somewhat superior on some levels. They're crafty, agile, dangerous and lethal – a true trophy for a huntsman such as yourself."

The shadow was intrigued. He listened to Shredder's voice, his finger coming up to rest beneath his chin. "How many?"

"Four I would personally wish to see disposed of. Six otherwise."

"Ten then." The shadow tapped at his chin and his smirk returned. "That's a hundred and seventeen thousand, Saki…quite a sum for the disposal of ten beasts."

"These are a particularly painful collection of thorns in my side. My operations would run much more efficiently with their…sustained absence."

"…And how would you want them disposed of?"

"I have heard rumours that you and your men enjoy the chase before the prize. A remote island off the southern coast of Africa recently came into my possession. It's private, of course. I would be willing to allow you and your men to hunt these beasts out there under one condition; within one month's time the beast's hearts are brought back to me as proof of the completion of your task. I will not tolerate any form of failure."

The shadow grinned, the smoke fogging in his ashen eyes once more as he crushed his cigar in his hands and let the crumbs fall to the floor. "You are a cruel man, Saki. I think I'm beginning to like that about you."

"Spare your flattery. Ten beasts disposed of in one month's time. You will be given all the artillery and equipment that you and your men wish. Just make sure you get the job done."

"You still haven't told me what these beasts are. What am I facing here? Poisonous reptiles? Dangerous land mammals? Aquatic monsters?"

Shredder let out a low rumbling laugh that sent chills through the room. Reaching into the drawer of his desk, he pulled out a series of photographs and threw them down before the shadow. A hand reached out of the darkness and picked them up with surprisingly delicate fingers. The shadow stuttered at the first image before he quickly flicked through the others to find them increasingly similar despite the differing backgrounds and settings. His eye widened, his smile thinned and he found himself at a loss for words. Composing himself, the shadow clung to the photographs and his voice deepened. "Just what the hell are these?"

"A new form of mutated beast I wish to be free of. You see now why I need the best, do you not?"

The shadow laughed, a thick rumble escaping his chest as he looked at what appeared to be a grinning man-turtle with an orange bandanna. There were three others with the same attire but different colours, and the other six looked to be from a different location. But other than that, they were near identical. "I see, Saki. Don't worry, I believe me and mine would be thrilled to accept your interesting request."

Shredder smiled as he watched the shadow stand. The chair screeched back against the flooring and a well-muscled and scarred arm made its way out into the limelight. Shredder shook the offered hand roughly, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "I will fly you and your men out tonight. You have until then to prepare yourselves."

"And the beasts?"

"Do not worry. I will personally see to it that they are distributed to the island. I leave their fate in your capable hands."

He released the shadows hand, a smile growing beneath the metal mask as he took the pictures back from the shadow. There was the faint sound of a door clicking and Shredder threw the photographs down onto the desk, watching as they slid off each other and revealed each mutant to him in turn. The door opened once more and the _click_ of the lights brought a flood of colour to the room. Shredder glanced up to find Karai stood in the doorway. She looked almost hesitant as she swept quickly into the room and bowed heavily.

"It is time, Karai. There is no time for failure or error." The Shredder's eyes narrowed as he swept the pictures up and threw them back into the drawer. Slamming it closed, he watched as she straightened up and remained motionless.

"You know what you must do."


	2. Beneath the Rain

"Okay, here's the deal," Leo untied a brown bag from his waist and threw it to Donny. The purple masked turtle caught it easily and frowned down on it with a puzzled expression, pulling it away from Michelangelo's prying fingers as the youngest turtle itched to know what was inside. "I thought we could do something different for a change. Going on runs every other night is okay, but the Foot haven't been around for a while and the average thug is sloppy."

"Why do I not like where you're going with this…?" Mikey mumbled, eyeing the brown bag suspiciously.

Leo smiled, turning from Mikey to explain to a bewildered Donatello and a gruff looking Raph. "I thought we could go against each other instead."

"Ya mean like trainin'?" Raph kicked off the sewer wall and rolled his shoulders back. "Leo, we just been trainin' with Master Splinter. We don't-"

"Actually, I was thinking more like a game."

"A game?" Mikey perked up, looking between his brothers eagerly and grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Dude, what kind of game?"

Leo shrugged, pulling another bag free from his waist. "I was thinking we split into teams of two and we do a bit of a stealth workout."

"Workout?" Donny looked doubtful. "Leo, that doesn't exactly sound like fun…"

"I managed to get April to buy some paintballs the other day…well, Casey did, but April knows so," he waved his arm through the air as if to swipe the issue away. "Anyway, we split into teams of two. Me and Mikey versus you two. The team with the least paintballs decorating them at the end of the exercise wins."

Mikey laughed, pushing away from Donny and sweeping his arm around Leo's shoulders instead as his grin spread the full length of his face. "Oh yes! Totally sweet, bro. You two are so going down, know why?"

Raph folded his hands across his chest and grumbled. "If he mentions being the Battle Nexus Champion one more time I'm gonna-"

"Because you're going against the Battle Nexus Champion and the Stealth Ninja, bro's! Prepare to eat your hearts out!"

Donny snickered and turned to watch a fuming Raph twitch as he opened the brown bag. "You were saying?"

Raph glared at Donny, about to retaliate before Leo cut across him. He pushed Mikey's arm back to him and opened the brown bag. Inside were a collection of both small and large paint pellets that would explode on impact. "Should we get started, then?"

Mikey looked into the bag with excited eyes, but as he rummaged through the pellets he frowned. "Dude, why are they all blue?"

"And why are these all red?" Donny asked.

"They are?" Raph snatched the bag from Donny and beamed when he looked inside. "Looks like I'm team captain, Donny-boy."

"Hey Leo, what's the deal, bro? You holdin' out on us?"

"No, Mikey." Leo shook his head and closed the bag back up. "Casey only picked up two colours-"

"Did you specify that there are four of us, and that therefore four colours would be more appropriate?"

"Don, this is Casey. I thought it would be obvious." Leo defended.

"Exactly, bro, you should definitely specify the obvious with Casey."

"Shuddup Mike." Raph grumbled, a smirk hanging on his face as he leaned back against the sewer wall. "I think Fearless did alright for once."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "For once?"

"You would say that because it's your colour-"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raph grumbled.

Leo sighed, letting his shoulders deflate as he looked at them all in turn. "Look, how about next time I make sure Casey picks up purple and orange, and then you two can take a turn being team captain for a change. Sound good?" He was met with a sour response, and, deciding that it was probably the best he was going to get for the time being, he continued. "Right, we have our teams and we have our objective, so I think some rules should be set in place."

"Aw shell, Leo. Really?"

"Yes, Mike. Number one, no going topside and no going back to base. This is a one hour exercise and I don't want things getting complicated by including the city. Not yet, anyway. Let's see how this goes and if it works we'll expand it into bigger areas."

"Sounds fair." Donny said, smiling as Mikey began to jump up and down on the spot eagerly, his untapped energy begging to be spent.

"Number two," Leo continued, "no cheating. Yes, I'm looking at you Michelangelo."

"Me? Dude, you're breaking my heart!"

"And I'll be breaking your face if ya do, Mike." Raph growled. He was all too familiar with his brother's methods of cheating. It was one of the many things Michelangelo would go to great, painful, creative lengths with. Often at Raph's humiliating expense.

Mikey stuck his tongue out and ducked behind Leo at the playful swipe Raph sent his way. Ignoring Raph's warning, he peaked his head up from behind Leo's shoulder. "What's rule numero three, bro?"

"Friendly fire still counts as fire." Leo smiled at Mike's sharp inhale of breath before his brother leapt away as if Leo's shell had burned him.

"Really, Leo?" Donny asked, looking at Raph nervously and trying to bite back the slight bundle of nerves he found knotting his stomach at his notorious hot-headed brother's growing smile. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"I think so. Okay, I think that's it…" He closed one eye, thinking hard before he nodded and smiled. "Yep, that's definitely it. Okay, one minute to break apart, devise a strategy and get started. After that, as long as it abides by the rules, it's fair game. We meet back in one hour-"

"What if we run out of pellets before then?" Raph asked, never taking his eyes off his youngest brother. His smile grew sneakily as Mikey gulped.

"As long as the other team still has pellets the match continues, so don't waste your fire. Right, one minute starting…. Now!"

They broke apart instantly, Raph and Donny heading west and Leo and Mikey sprinting north. Raph clutched the bag tightly, sprinting as fast as he could and listening as Donny followed. Although he could barely hear his brother, he _could_ hear him, and if Raph could, there was no doubt in his mind that Leo and Mikey would be able to as well. Rounding another corner after what he had timed in his head to be forty seconds of running, he stopped and leaned against a wall, a smile still plastered on his face as Don ducked into the narrow tunnel after him.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Plan?" Raph asked, opening the bag and pulling out a collection of the small red pellets before he handed the bag to Don. Donny took a handful, being careful not to apply too much pressure so that they wouldn't break.

"Yes, plan. You heard Leo, this is a stealth exercise. If we're going to win we have to come up with some kind of strategy."

"You wanna win, Donny?"

Don smiled genuinely, his eyes twinkling with life. "Are you kidding? I'd love to rub this in the Battle Nexus Champion's face."

Raph laughed and the sound came out as a deep rumble in his chest. "Didn't think you were competitive, Don. Okay, a plan…a plan…. Well, Leo's all stealthy and sneaky, so he's probably gonna try a sneak attack, right?"

"Make's sense. Mikey's got too much energy to keep still long enough to plan an ambush, so he's probably going to try a head on assault and use his agility to make up for the careless tactic."

"Right. Think we should split up?"

"Sounds good." Donny took a step forward and dunked his hand into the bag for another scoop of the small red pellets. "Who do you wanna take?"

"I'll take Leo."

Don looked almost worried as he glanced up to catch Raph's molten gold eyes. "You sure? I mean-"

"Don, trust me," Raph smirked, tying the bag about his waist and grinning. "I know how Leo ticks; I've been pushing his buttons for years. Besides, Mike'll bring out the worst in me. He'll end up rilin' me up an' I won't be able ta focus. It's better if you take Mike, and I take Leo."

Donny shrugged. "You're team captain. Should we make some sort of signal in case one of us gets in trouble?"

Raph snorted as he began to walk away. "You got a voice, ain't ya?"

Don frowned, watching as Raph rounded a corner and left him with the slow dripping tap of the waterworks further down the sewer tunnel. "Kind of defeats the object…" he mumbled to himself before he headed off in search of Mikey, keeping his back to the wall and sticking to the sulky shadows that lined the innermost parts of the sewage network.

* * *

Raphael frowned as he walked further into the sewers. He followed a long tunnel that led off into the centre of the waterworks where the water cascaded down from all areas of New York. Keeping his back to the wall, he slid his feet beneath the water and crouched down, sticking to the shadows and refusing to lift his feet from beneath the water to avoid the faint splashes he knew his brothers would be listening for. But it had been the best part of fifteen minutes, and he had yet to hear a peep from the waterworks.

There had been nothing. No sound from Leo, Mikey or Don, and Raph was beginning to wonder if splitting up had been the best option. And he was beginning to regret heading into the northern parts of the sewer system in the hopes of catching his brother off-guard. Especially since it looked like Leo and Mike had had the same idea and had ventured away from the territory they had initially set off into. Squinting, he watched as the water collected at his feet and fell in an enormous sweeping _whoosh_ down into a large open basin below where it would be drained out into more narrow tunnels and finally the sea.

He was looking down into the water basin below, his back still firmly placed against the inner grey concrete of the tunnel, when the blue pellet smashed against his arm with a fierce surprising sting. Yelping with shock, Raph ducked further into the shadows and clutched at his arm where the blue paint spread across his bicep in a scruffy fashion. Biting back a growl, he stayed perfectly still and looked back out into the hierarchy of tunnels that surrounded him, cursing himself for being careless.

So, Leo had stayed in the northern part of the sewers, and he was in the area Raph was in…so why couldn't Raph see him? Normally he was good at spotting his brothers in any situation and circumstance (the masks certainly helped), so where was Leo now? He glanced up at the tunnels above him before skimming down at the water below…there was nothing; no hint of shimmering blue against the cold concrete or the murky brown water.

Another pellet caught him in the chest, the sting winding him and catching him off-guard once more. Staggering back, Raph growled and retreated a few steps inside the tunnel, rubbing at his plastron fiercely as the blue paint spread across his fingers. But a smile escaped him as he looked down at the blue spot. The projectile had definitely come from above him, and even if he was two points down, he was all for evening the score.

Glancing up, he looked for the blue once more, squinting as he glared at each individual tunnel and the deep black pits inside of their cracked interior. But still there was no blue. Not even a hint of blue. But there was something else that caught his attention. Something green. Something moving; breathing; smiling; grinning. But still there was no blue.

"Mikey…?" Raph whispered. His youngest brother was rested on the outer rings of the second highest tunnel, cradled between an overpass, the tunnel he was clinging to and the falling brown water that seemed to almost hide him completely. Almost. Raph had to squint twice to make sure it was Mikey. Why? Because there was no orange mask, or belt, or orange bound nunchucks, or anything. Just Mikey.

_Clever little…_

He never got to finish his train of thought as Mikey sneakily parted the water that fell before him and launched a blue pellet in Raph's direction. But Raph had seen it. And he was not prepared to go down without a fight. Holding up a red pellet, he saw Mikey's eyes widen ever so slightly before he fired it at the blue projectile.

The pellets smashed together and exploded. Blue and red powdered paint filled the room, blurring their visions and obscuring everything. Raph wasted no time in moving. Pocketing the pellets in the bag, he ran to the outer side of the tunnel, careful not to make any noise before he leapt outwards and to the left, catching a rung of a ladder that led to an emergency latch and climbing. Two seconds later he was above Mikey and making his way across to the overpass his little brother was snug against as the smoke began to dispel. Landing on all fours, he crouched against the metal and peered silently over the side to where Mikey waited and squinted through the mist with perplexed eyes.

Raph snickered. Revenge was sweet. Opening the bag carefully, he picked up seven pellets and cradled them in the crook of his arm. The red and blue smoke vanished, and a look of panic swept across Mikey, stunning him and granting Raph the opportunity he needed. Whilst his brother remained motionless, still staring at the spot Raph had occupied with a blue pellet cradled between his fingers, Raph hooked his leg on the opposite side of the bridge, lodging it between the metal railings and grinning before he let himself fall over the side to hang upside down.

Offering his brother a smug grin, he pelted a poor screaming Michelangelo with rapid fire. No sooner had he fired a paintball than his hand was reaching for the next.

One-_BANG! _Two-_BANG! _Three-_BANG!_ Four-_BANG!_ Five-_BANG! _Six-_BANG! _Seven-_BANG!_

Out of pellets and unable to reach the ones in his bag, Raph laughed, pulling himself back up onto the overpass and leaving Mikey in a small coughing fit of red powder as he sprinted left. With an assault like that Leo was sure to turn up, and as soon as Mikey gained his bearings he would be hot on his tail. But still, despite the objective of the game being stealth, Raph couldn't help the laughter that escaped him. He wondered whose idea it had been to get rid of the colourful weapon's and bandannas, or if Mike had just taken it upon himself. Either way, he couldn't help but admire the tactical manoeuvre(not that he would ever tell his little brother). It had certainly made finding his brother harder.

Darting down a tunnel, he ignored the splash of his footsteps and instead focused on getting as far away from his brother as possible. He was halfway down the tunnel when he felt something hard pound him thrice in the shell, forcing him to stagger forwards as Mikey's cackling laughter came from behind him. Growling, he picked himself up and turned. Another smirk found its way to his face as he watched his now red brother run towards him, blue pellets raised high in the air and ready to fire.

"Gee, Mike, you look like a lobste-" He was forced to duck as another blue pellet soared past his head.

"Stay still, Raph! It's no fair if you keep moving!"

"Oh, yeah, I'm gonna stay still so you can hit me with - what the shell…?" He stopped and trailed off as Donny came from around a corner, his shell completely spattered blue as he fired the last of his red pellets down a tunnel. Despite the huge grin on his face, he was panting heavily, a blue smear across his cheek and chest.

"Raph! Raph, thank God, I need more pellets-"

"What the shell happened to you?" Raph asked, ducking as Mikey fired another pellet at him before he returned fire and snickered at Mike's high pitched yelp.

"L-Leo…" Don panted, reaching across Raph and stealing a few of the red paint bombs. "Thought you was supposed to take him!"

"I ran into a little accident instead."

"Hey, that's mean Raph! You're just jealous because you got your tail handed to you by the Battle Nexus Champion!" Mikey grinned, stopping and launching another pellet from a safe distance. It hit Raph across the cheek, and Mikey celebrated with a small Mikey-style dance as Raph retaliated with a growl and another thrown projectile.

"By the looks of it I'd say you're the one who took a beating, Mikey." Donny laughed, returning fire with a red paintball and sniggering when it covered one of the few areas on Mikey that weren't a pretty scarlet.

"Time to say your prayers, Mik-oomph!" Raph stumbled forwards again, catching himself in time to prevent his face hitting the concrete floor. "What the shell!" He turned, enraged, to find Leo waiting at the end of the corridor. He was slightly out of breath too, as if he and Donny had been playing cat and mouse for a while, and across his right shoulder was a slick red mark that looked as if came from a nearby explosion. His mask and katana's were missing, and Raph couldn't believe his older brother had parted with his most precious possessions. Even if it was just for a training session.

"I think you should say yours first, Raphael." Leo laughed, holding up another blue paint bomb and throwing it in Raph's direction.

Raph grunted and barely dodged the playful attack. "What the shell, Donny! I thought you'd have landed a few more hits than that-"

"I tried!"

"Not hard enough." Leo put in, advancing slowly as Mikey did the same on the opposite side.

"Woop! Team Blue for the win!"

Ignoring Mikey's chant, Raph looked between his brothers that were slowly advancing before he upended the brown bag. Two small pellets fell into his hand. Holding them tight, he looked up at Donny and smiled. "Bail?"

Donny laughed, nodding eagerly. "Bail."

Raph grinned, holding the two paintball's up before he smashed them down by his and Donny's feet. A thick red powdered smog covered the area, blanketing all four ninja's and causing a severe coughing match between them. Wafting the smoke away with his arm, Mikey watched with watery eyes as the powder cleared. But instead of staring at Donny and Raph, he found himself meeting the eyes of Leo. His older brother snickered at his red plastron for a brief second and Mikey huffed before there was the distinct scrape of a manhole cover falling back into place. Glancing up, Leo groaned at the faint light that fluttered down through the manhole cover with the weak trickle of rain.

"I told them. Rule number one, no going topside!"

Mikey shrugged. "Looks like our only option is to go after 'em, bro. You in?"

"We should go get our weapons first-"

"Leeeeoooooo, they could be getting away! We have to go now!" Mikey grinned, running up to the ladders and climbing them. "We'll be out five minutes tops. Besides, like you said, there's no Foot about, so what the shell could happen, right?"

"Mikey, anything could happen in five minutes."

"Pfffft. You worry too much."

"No," Leo mumbled, following his little brother with anxious eyes. "You guys just don't worry enough." As Mikey reached the top and began to move the manhole, Leo gave in and followed after him, ignoring his instincts to go back and retrieve his weapons. After all, it really was just five minutes. Right?

* * *

Raph and Donny stopped outside an abandoned factory rooftop on the far eastern side of New York. The moon was out, but it constantly dipped in and out of consciousness behind the clouds that were clogged with thunder. The rain spat down on them, fine at first, but then it hardened into thick droplets that drenched them to their core. But still the smile's crept on their faces as the paint began to wash away from their skin into light blue and red puddles atop the rooftop.

"Gotta give Leo credit." Donny laughed, leaning back against a chimney as Raph looked over the side of the building where the street lamps flickered, faded and died. "This has been one of his better training exercises."

Raph snorted. "Don't tell 'im that. His head'll explode if it gets any bigger."

Donny chuckled, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the bricks of the building. "You know, we really should be getting back. This rain won't do us any good and if we get a cold we'll never hear the end of it from Leo."

"I'm gonna stay out a little longer. I don't wana hear Mikey go on for hours about this. Especially not when I handed his shell ta him. What happened with you an' Leo, anyway?"

"Ambush."

"Eh…?"

"He caught me in the underground's abandoned waterways. I didn't see him, and when I took off he chased. Seems like every turn I took he seemed to cut me off. What about you? I see Mikey managed to land a few hits." He looked at the watery paint that was dripping from Raph's arm and plastron and smiled.

"Yeah, sneaky bastard hid under the overhanging bridge. Didn't see him without his mask."

"Whose idea was that, anyway?"

Raph shrugged. "Leo, I think…"

"Not like Leo to put his weapon's down so easily…"

"Maybe Mike then?"

"Mmm…maybe."

A silence settled between them. Donny sighed, loving the feeling of the cold rain washing over him and relishing in it. There was the sound of steel scraping softly, and he frowned, peeking an eye open. "What have you drawn your sai's for?"

Raph glanced over his shoulder from where he'd been observing the streets below. "What ya talkin' about, Don? My sai's are…" he stopped. He heard it too. The soft sound of steel on brick. The sound of threatening metal making its way towards them.

"This isn't funny, Raph." Donny mumbled, pushing back off the wall and opening his eyes as his brother straightened up.

"You're the smart one, Don. Tell me, where are my sai's right now?"

Donatello glanced to Raph's waist where the sai's remained motionless in the rain. Gulping, he looked about, drawing his staff to him and frowning. "Well, if it's not you, then who…?"

Raph looked across the rooftops. The darkness had spread, swallowing the silhouettes of the surrounding area. A flash of lightening. He saw it. Saw them. Hundreds of them. All in black. All coming towards them. All with steel weapons drawn. All hungry for blood.

Drawing his sai's slowly, Raph backed away from the edge. "I'm thinking maybe them." He pointed to where the Foot soldiers began jumping across the rooftops and Donny immediately paled.

"Shell…We've gotta get out of here, Raph!"

Nodding, the two brother's turned, prepared to jump down and disappear into the alley below before the first wave appeared on the rooftops, blocking their exit. Together the two brothers backed up. Raph's head span and he turned, back to back with Donatello, as more jumped onto the rooftop in a wave of black; an alive tsunami prepared to swallow them in a glint of steel under the flash of lightening.

"Looks like we're gonna have to bust our way out, Don!"

He couldn't see it, but he heard his brother's fierce grunt of acknowledgment. There was no time to call for help. No time to retreat or escape. The night had turned deadly. And the danger was beckoning them into the shadows.

The first Foot soldier attacked, lunging forwards with a steel sword that glinted heavily. Raph growled and brought his right sai up, trapping the blade and locking it in place as he brought the other up to slice the man's throat. Ignoring the mans snatching hand on his wrist, he threw him back into a soldier that started forwards, turning and catching another about the chest with a kick before he brought his sai's up to counter the slice aimed for his head. He caught the blade, twisted it, manipulated and controlled it, and sent it flying into the forehead of another grunt that made his way towards him.

Behind him he heard his brother grunt and the sickening collection of _thunks_ that came from the missing chunks of a man's flesh being caved in met his eardrums. This fight was real. There was too many to simply just knock out in the hopes that they could make a retreat. They had to finish as many as possible in the hopes the others would leave out of fear. The first wave was battered and bleeding when the second and third came. And suddenly the open rooftop became a dangerously cramped and enthralled place.

Spinning right, Raph caught a sword aimed for Donatello's side and, turning his sai inwards, wrestled it away from the horrified man as he turned it about and speared him with his own weapon. Wasting no time, he turned back, clearing himself a small space and fighting to keep it as the wave of Foot soldiers kept coming like a black tide of monsters. He beat back another man, turned and caught a soldier's wrist and flipped him over onto the back of another, breaking it. He felt Donatello stagger against him, heard the warning to duck, conceded to it, and heard the frightening whistle as Don span his weapon around with enough force to crack the bones of all within the vicinity. The space was cleared, but taken back by the Foot instantly as they clambered over the wounded and fallen to gain their opportunity at a slice of victory.

The rain fell heavily, coating their weapons with a slick sheen that turned their own armaments against them in a dangerous battle. Raph's fingers slipped against the soaked red bandages about his sai and his muscles began to openly tire as the adrenaline began to fade into the sickly beginnings of lactic acid. It was in his exhaustion that his mistake came.

He turned too fast. Staggered. Was too slow regaining his balance. The opportunity grew. His side was exposed. The slashing knife came down. The steel glinted. The thunder raged and the lightening roared. His eyes widened and he felt the rain soak him more than ever before. He flinched. Closed his eyes. Waited. Expected.

But the blow didn't fall.

Opening his eyes, he smiled faintly to find Leo in front of him, his hand holding onto the startled soldier's wrist as a menacing growl escaped his throat; a noise Raph had never heard before. The blade was pulled from the man's grip and a solid punch landed against his face, the impact sending him staggering back into the swarm. Leo claimed the sword for his own, and it was then that Raph noticed, in the middle of the fray, that Leo was still mask-less, weapon-less, and vulnerable. Or he was before he claimed the unconscious man's sword at least.

He hefted Raph up non-too-gently, his eyes fraught with worry and concern as he turned his attention back to the ever growing fight. Over the din of the rain and the cry of breaking men he heard Mikey scream a "cowabunga!" and could only assume he was also in the midst of the fight. The battle became intense and frightening even by Raph's standards; it was almost as if every member of the Foot was out tonight, and they were unforgiving and merciless in their approach.

He didn't know when he had lost Leo in the fight. But he couldn't see him anymore through the swarm. He felt his shell push back against something similar, and sparing the quickest snatch of a glance over his shoulder, he found Mikey returning the swift stare. No words were exchanged, but enough was said between that connection for them to understand each other then and there. No jokes were exchanged. No harsh insults or sarcasm was brought forth, and instead only cooperation broke the rough of their world.

Mike was holding a staff similar to Donny's. He had stolen it from the first man he had tackled and thrown over the side of the building in his hurry to get to his brother's after they had first noticed the swarming black hoard. There was a collection of throwing stars along the centre from where he had used it as a defence, but other than that he found his slick hands clumsy as he stumbled with the unfamiliar weapon. Sweeping outwards, he grunted as a particularly hard blow sent him stumbling backwards into Raph, who thereby staggered forwards off balance.

"Watch it, Mike!"

"I'm tryin'!"

Bringing his sai up to block a downwards slice, Raph pushed upwards with a grunt and growled, forcing the soldier back. "Try harder!" He grunted. His eyes fell downwards as a solid canister came to rest at his feet, smoke oozing from it like a poisonous fog as it swam through the rain upwards towards him. He booted it away and back into the fight, but it was too late. His senses had already grown groggy.

His eyes began to swim with blurred images. His tongue became thick and heavy in his mouth and his muscles turned lax. He saw, rather than felt himself fall to one knee. And he watched, confused, as the Foot soldiers began to back away from him, as if their purpose had been to wear him down rather than endure the cost of killing him. He blinked and his eyelids stuck together. His sai's fell from numb fingers and he heard Mikey shout something before his world became black and he fell to the pavement.

Mikey watched, horrified, as Raph fell. Taking a protective stance over his brother, Mikey stared hard at the Foot, daring them to come closer. They did. Dropping his staff, Mikey picked up Raph's sai's, feeling slightly more comfortable as he hacked at the bodies that flew at him, much less eloquent than Raph's dignified, precise slashes. His arms ached, his body drooped, and another canister was thrown. Mirroring his brother, Mikey kicked it back into the crowd, but again, it was too late.

The gasses consumed him, and a sneeze escaped him. Again the Foot backed away, watching with humour in their eyes as Mikey fell to one knee with exhaustion. Gasping for clean air, he tried to ignore the burning sensation in his lungs. But the smog was too thick and he couldn't shift it. Looking to Raph's tense face even in sleep, Mikey let out a final sorrowful laugh as he fell to all fours.

"Sorry, Raphie…I tried, bro."

With those words, he collapsed, and the black beckoned him into a world of confusing, nightmarish sleep.

On the other side of the rooftop Donatello swung his staff desperately. His heart raced in his chest as more Foot soldiers appeared, but still he cracked the bones of many and all who came within the vicinity of him. Sweeping right, he saw Leo through the crowd of black, the twin swords elegant in his hands, bringing a blissfully swift death to all they met. Don's eyes were torn away as a particularly hefty slice caught his staff and stuck to it. Kicking the man away, he brought the staff about and smashed it into a man's ribs, hating the sound of the vengeful _crack_.

"DONNY, BATTER UP!"

He heard his name. Turned. Saw Leo throw the canister. Registered the impulse of what was meant, and lifted his staff. Swinging it round, he connected with the canister that was diffusing smoke high in the air and sent in spiralling two rooftops over. Wondering where the canister had come from, or even what Leo was doing with it, Donny lowered his staff and continued fighting his section of the battle.

The intensity grew beyond belief and Donny began to tire, his arms growing heavy and his movements laboured. Another shout, but this time not from Leo. A canister was thrown at him. Behind him. He turned too late. And he realised just what was happening. Throwing it from him, he coughed at the white fog, trying hard not to breathe in the gas. But it was too late. Like Mikey and Raph, his legs caved beneath him. He found himself digging his staff into the concrete as he crouched in the rain, grasping at the splintered wood for help as he tried to regain his bearings. His world span. His breaths hurt. His chest tightened. His vision fogged and he felt his muscles shake. Attempting to stand, his muscles wobbled beneath him, disobeying him, defying him, and he found himself on all fours, coughing and spluttering in the rain. The staff landed beside him and the splash of it hitting the water caught his cheek. But it couldn't wake him. Couldn't save him.

Falling forwards, Donny registered the darkness creeping towards him. All train of thought left him and he found himself absorbed in the darkness as unconsciousness took him and swept him away.

Leo grunted and backed away from a series of slashes meant for his throat. Blocking an attack, he swept low and brought the knees out from under his attackers before jumping over them and attempting to locate his brothers. They were nowhere to be seen in the sea of moving black. But they were there, he knew they were. He just couldn't see them.

Blocking another attack, he faltered at the clicking of metal sweeping against concrete. A canister crept into his line of view like the other. He reached for it, meaning to throw it. But as he did it was kicked towards him, past his hand and under him, and the white fog began to simmer. The gas invaded his lugs, choking him. His swords became dead weights. His muscles ached. His body swayed and his sense was slipping from him. Fighting to stay upright became a battle he could no longer win, and he fell forwards. The advance of soldier's stopped before they parted, and through the rain a lone figure swept forwards.

Holding his midriff as the fiery gas swept through him, Leo caught the obsessed sorrowful eyes of Karai. She knelt before him and he growled. His world began to haze in and out and every breath became a laboured chore. Her smiled flickered and died like the streetlights under the lightening of the storm. But Leo didn't notice. Instead he fell forwards by her feet, his muscles disobeying his every command as he found himself unable to move. Gritting his teeth, he found the sweeping darkness soft and warm.

Soft fingers touched the side of his cheek, but he didn't flinch. Wouldn't flinch.

"I am sorry, Leonardo. Such dishonour marks my hand and my name."

The fingers left his face and the darkness won the battle of conscience. Claiming the last of the turtles atop the abandoned and drenched factory roof for the long sleep it had planned for them.


End file.
